DSG vs Manual

[Simon1602]

Very useful.....definite theme in favour of DSG....just about to pull the trigger on a new Octavia....and looks like I will be going auto. 

 

[Pilotguy]

I don't plan on going back to manual in this type of car again. The DSG in my car is buttery-smooth wherever I drive it and translates the effort of the powerful engine the TSI vRS has into glorious bursts of speed when I want it, without manually mashing a gearlever. I sometimes use the paddles and S, only about 2 % of the time though and usually go round in normal Drive mode.

[hypo]

Only thing that troubles me with DSG (I have 2014 TSI vRS) is stopping to a hill for example at traffic lights - and then starting to move forward after hill hold. Should I apply (more) gas before hill hold releases to perform a smoother start? Because usually it is quite jerky. Otherwise I'm really happy with DSG, changes smoothly.

 

Sorry for my sloppy English.

[jonathan.tong]

We don't have hill hold so use the handbrake instead (like a regular manual car). You can see/feel when the clutch is engaging.

[Simon1602]

Paddle shift or not? 

[stever750]

I've had both, from a barking cupra "320" and a diesel vrs test drive using DSG, manual versions of the octys. My conclusion,  FWIW,  was that it was OK on the cupra, but largely pointless elsewhere on anything other than cooking models, because the manual shift is one of the best.  If you're buying a sports saloon (and that's stretching the definition of most of the vrs range) then manual is surely the most appropriate choice? Otherwise, why bother? For F1 drivers or lazy slipper wearers only? 

Edited 12 September, 2017 by stever750

[SnailUK]

13 hours ago, stever750 said:

I've had both, from a barking cupra "320" and a diesel vrs test drive using DSG, manual versions of the octys. My conclusion,  FWIW,  was that it was OK on the cupra, but largely pointless elsewhere on anything other than cooking models, because the manual shift is one of the best.  If you're buying a sports saloon (and that's stretching the definition of most of the vrs range) then manual is surely the most appropriate choice? Otherwise, why bother? For F1 drivers or lazy slipper wearers only? 

 

To be fair, it also depends on your usage.

 

I spend 90% of my life stuck in a traffic jam, therefore i wouldn't touch a manual. If i spent 90% of my life on a motorway, it would be manual all the way.

[stever750]

I think if I spent that proportion of my time behind the wheel stationary then I'd go by train! 

[juan27]

On 9/6/2017 at 18:12, themanwithnoaim said:

I got the vRS245 instead as my eye sight is getting worse. 

 

It will certainly get you close enough to see things a lot quicker. 

[themanwithnoaim]

16 minutes ago, juan27 said:

 

It will certainly get you close enough to see things a lot quicker. 

Only downside with the car, you're always on the bloody brakes cos of other road users, most inconsiderate of them.

 

Get out the way, 245 coming through, maybe we should get our own lanes. lol

[Andyjm2uk]

7 minutes ago, themanwithnoaim said:

Only downside with the car, you're always on the bloody brakes cos of other road users, most inconsiderate of them.

 

Get out the way, 245 coming through, maybe we should get our own lanes. lol

 

Oh so smug.....

[Warrior193]

On 9/10/2017 at 17:02, Simon1602 said:

Very useful.....definite theme in favour of DSG....just about to pull the trigger on a new Octavia....and looks like I will be going auto. 

 

Hi Simon, give serious consideration to paddles when you choose a spec. The DSG Octavia (without paddles) I test drove before purchasing my manual 6 speed was OK - but I seriously did not like pushing the stick forward to change up / pull back to change down in "manual mode" it was something I didn't think I could ever get used to. To explain, I normally prefer to change for myself, but there are a number of conditions where I accept an auto is much better (stop-start traffic is one) I'm not an auto-box hater though - most rentals I drive in USA and Canada are auto's. I would have a DSG for my next car, although it would have to have paddles, especially now that these micro-hybrids have so little in the way of engine braking, which was one of my reasons for preferring manuals.      

[juan27]

2 hours ago, themanwithnoaim said:

Only downside with the car, you're always on the bloody brakes cos of other road users

 

Good job the 245 has those huge vented disks on the back.

[Warrior193]

PS. Oh, and go for ACC rather than standard cruise.

[MattChr]

Flappy paddles are more instinctive than pushing up/down on the gearstick. 

With diesel DSG, I found it more critical to use manual mode with overtakes - keeps it in the power band, as it tends to overrev when giving it the beans, or underrev when pottering around. 

For petrol DSG, it seems better suited as there's a wider spread of torque. I use manual mode to avoid kickdown delay and smooth it out. 

 

I'd definitely take one for a test drive before committing, Ford powershift is absolute pants compared to DSG and I don't like CVT (Japanese or some Mercs). With the right auto box, definitely prefer it to manual!

[Rooted]

Maybe Flappy Paddles are more instinctive to the Playstation Generation.

I have had DSG's for over a decade in petrol and diesels and use the shifter to more to 'S' or to Manual when driving sportingly, 

and use paddles now more to decelerate in the latest diesel i have because the steering wheel is smaller, the paddles easy to get to compared to the shifter because the Arm Rest is usually in the way. The fact there is Auto Hold & Stop Start also means i am never changing the Shifter to 'N' when stopped these days.

This means that often it goes to 'D' at the start of a journey and unless going to reverse or into 'P' it never gets touched again.

Edited 18 September, 2017 by Headinawayoffski

[MattChr]

@Headinawayoffski indeed I'm more PlayStation rather than PlayStation 2 generation :-)

[stever750]

The biggest gripe I had with DSG is that you have to remember to switch off the auto stop feature 

[Greenliner1]

Totally agree, I'm getting used to switching the auto start/stop off to prevent surprises at junctions! You can do a bit of a balancing trick with the pressure on the brake pedal to keep it running, but it reminds me too much of riding the clutch in a manual which I hate.

 

Dont forget the DSG needs a service every 40k miles at £179, but even so another vote for it, easy driving. 

 

I dont use use the paddles very often either, mainly to increase engine braking.